Pastor’s Blog

A Word From Pastor Jon - August 2010

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:24:28 -0700

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” -Romans 13:1-2

In a recent sermon, I was reflecting on this Bible passage that commands us to submit to all authorities, whether they are our spiritual authority set up by God or some other kind of authority put over us by human beings. According to what the Bible says here in Romans, all authority is placed over us by God and therefore we have a spiritual obligation to all of our leaders to give respect and honor in submission to them.
I don’t know about you, but I have always had a problem with authority. I didn’t like submitting to my parent’s authority, my teacher’s authority, my boss’ authority or the government’s authority over me. I have even rebelled against the church’s authority at times. I guess you could call me a rebel. As nice as that title may sound to some, it is unacceptable to God. When we rebel against those in authority, we also rebel against the one who placed that person in authority over us. This Bible verse informs us that the one who has that position is God. Rebel against your leader and you rebel against God.
I think the reason I have so much trouble submitting authority is that I am a do-it-yourselfer. I always believe that I can find a way to do it better than the person telling me what to do. And I believe that I am a better judge of what is right for me than other people. Unfortunately, that has led me to butt heads with more than a few bosses, teachers and even parents in my life. And don’t get me started on the traffic cops.
The worst problem for headstrong people like myself is that the same prideful heart that makes it difficult to submit to earthly authority, also makes it difficult to submit to God. It all comes down to a matter of trust. Do I really believe that God has my best interest in mind when He picks these people to rule over me? I will not give up control of my life until I am certain that God can do a better job of running my life than I can.
Fortunately, God has proven to me that He is better at running my life than I am. He proved that to me at 19 years of age when I first offered Him the opportunity. God and I have had more than a few discussions since then about some of the particulars of that agreement, but I can honestly say that I have never once regretted my decision to submit to His authority and give Him control of my life. At times, I pout and fuss a bit, but it always turns out great for me in the end.
If you want to continue to walk blindly in the dark following your own path, I guess I can’t stop you. I just wish you could see the well lit path that I have found with the expert guide waiting to take your hand.

-Pastor Jon

If you would like to ask me a question or share a comment with me, please email me pastorjon@hhbchurch.com. I would love to hear from you!

A Word From Pastor Jon - July 2010

Thu, 8 Jul 2010 15:32:54 -0700

“ Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.” 1 Corinthians 7:1,2

When the Bible was written, the author of this letter (Paul) felt that people should spend as much time as possible serving the Lord. Paul himself did not get married so that he could be free to travel the world sharing the good news of Jesus offering to save us from our sins. But most of the other Christian leaders did get married and raise children, including Peter. Paul is reflecting on the world that he was living in and realized that most people could not hold back their sexual feelings completely. He also realized that the culture that they were a part of was full of immorality; people having sexual relationships without getting married first. So he makes this statement in verse 2, “each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.”
You don’t have to look very far to realize that our culture has become immoral, just as Paul’s was. There are many people living together, participating in sexual relationships, without getting married first. So what is wrong with that? If you listen to this culture, nothing. If you listen to God, plenty. He designed sex to be a part of a monogamous marriage relationship. Any sex outside of the marriage between one man and one woman is not only wrong, it is harmful to the spiritual lives of each person involved. All sin weakens our relationship with God. And if your spiritual life is suffering, the other areas of your life will suffer too.
For those who have already committed themselves to living together in a sexual relationship, the answer seems simple to me: get married. If you are not a Christian and don’t believe that there is a God that punishes sin and will not bless sinful relationships, then I can see why you might not bother getting married. Why would you if you didn’t need to get what you want? But what I find is alarming is the number of Christians that live together in sexual relationships outside of marriage. They must not understand the harm they do to themselves and to those they say they love. If you truly love someone, you don’t do something that is harmful to them. You would not knowingly offer food with dairy in it to a person lactose intolerant if you loved them. Neither would you deny your loved one a chance to enjoy God’s blessing in their life by following His design for them.
Many of these Christians say that they would get married if they could afford the cost of the wedding. This is another way Satan has twisted the people of our culture into thinking that a wedding has to cost a lot of money. Usually it isn’t the wedding that costs the most, it’s the party afterward. Why not get married now and throw the party when you can afford it?
Here’s what I will do for you, whether you are a part of our church or not. If you want to get married but can’t afford it, I will give you a free wedding. You don’t have to pay me, you don’t have to pay this church for the building. Don’t rip us off by using us for free and then spending lots of money on your own selfish pleasures. But if you are willing to have a simple wedding, I can make it real nice for you and it won’t cost you a thing. In fact it may be nicer than a $50,000 wedding. All you have to do is agree to meet with me for premarital counseling and both believe in the God you are making a vow to. If you want this, give me a call or email me. I’m serious.

-Pastor Jon

If you would like to ask me a question or share a comment with me, please email me pastorjon@hhbchurch.com. I would love to hear from you!

A Word From Pastor Jon - June 2010

Tue, 1 Jun 2010 21:51:50 -0700

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.” -Acts 1:8-9
This summer, Leo Mendoza is heading to the Philippines, Eddy Vera is going to Africa, 22 are going to Costa Rica; all involved in doing mission work overseas. We continue to reach out to homeless and other needy in our area on a regular basis. I have often been asked why our church is so mission minded. There are needs in our own church, people with damaged marriages, those dealing with addictions, the unemployed, the grieving, the sick, the broken-hearted. With so much need right here, why bother looking for needs outside our doors?
It is interesting that the last recorded words of Jesus by Matthew, Mark and Luke before going back to heaven all say about the same thing: Share the good news of Jesus with all of the world. There were plenty of needy people right there in Jerusalem, why did God tell them to go to the ends of the earth?
By God’s grace and mercy, we have been able to help many people right here. There are many others that we try and try to help, but get nowhere. Just because there are needy people next to you doesn’t mean they will let you give them the help they really need. At some point, you’ve done all you can for those right here and you need to move on. The people who are willing to be helped may not make it in through the doors of our church. Many times God is going to send us elsewhere to help the people He has chosen for us to help.
A man named Phillip had a great ministry going on Samaria, but he felt God calling him to go a hundred miles away to the desert road to Egypt. He didn’t even have a clue what he was supposed to do once he got there, just that he needed to go there for some reason. It was there that a man from Ethiopia was traveling and was reading the Bible. He didn’t understand was he was reading, so Phillip was able to explain to him the meaning of the Bible and how Jesus had come to die for his sins and give him the way to eternal life in heaven. The man eagerly accepted Jesus as his savior and was baptized on the spot. God knew that Phillip was the person he wanted to help this man, but he had to take him a long way from home to get him to the right location to help.
The same thing happened to us last year. We felt called by God to go to Costa Rica and assist a man with a ministry to poor kids in the ghetto. We had a great week with them, but it wasn’t until the man died a short time later that I realized that God had a very specific reason for sending our group a couple of thousand miles away. God chose us to be the support their family and ministry would need just at that time. I love it when I see God do stuff like this! God says to himself, “Hmm, the people that I know that are perfect for this job are 2000 miles away in a different country, do not know that these people exist and have no interest in coming to meet them. No problem! They are willing to serve me and I will figure out how to get them where they need to be.”
I love how Jesus told His disciples that they will go to the ends of the earth to share their testimony. Any person who serves God should know that God will move you where he needs you the most to get His work done. Most often that will close by with the people right near you. But every once in awhile He has something really special in mind for you. I think it is awesome that 24 people have been chosen by God for something really special this summer. I fully expect that we will all come back home knowing the specific purpose that we were chosen for the task that we were given.

-Pastor Jon

If you would like to ask me a question or share a comment with me, please email me pastorjon@hhbchurch.com. I would love to hear from you!

A Word From Pastor Jon - May 2010

Thu, 6 May 2010 15:49:15 -0700

“No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.” Isaiah 62:4

I came across this verse recently in my personal devotional reading. I had heard of Israel being called
“Beulah Land,” though I never knew why. Now I understand that Beulah means “Married” and this is the beginning of the concept that was explained more thoroughly in Ephesians 5, when it describes the church as the “Bride of Christ.” The marriage covenant is sacred to God and He will never break it, even if we are unfaithful. We have the confidence that in becoming one flesh with God, He will never desert us because He will never desert Himself, even if He wanted to (2 Timothy 2:13).
Yet, I don’t recall hearing the word “Hephzibah” before. No one calls it “Hephzibah Land” and no one names their daughters Hephzibah. Isaiah tells us that the new name for the people of Israel is Hephzibah, or “My delight is in her.” There are some people that I tolerate, many that I enjoy being with, but few that put a smile on my face the minute they enter the room. God declares to us that we are Hephzibah to Him, the one that He delights in. He thinks about us when we are gone, he cherishes the moments we have together.
Tonight we had our children come out for kids night. We were short of adult workers, and I could tell that the ones we had were drained before the night began.
As per usual, the kids came in with plenty of energy and little self control. It wasn’t
long before I was hiding in the back, wishing that I too had taken the night off. Then
as I prayed over my lesson, God opened my eyes to a new reality. Hephzibah. These are the ones the Lord takes delight in. He has graciously sent them to me tonight to let me share in His pleasure. These were moments to treasure, not dread.
That changed my whole attitude on the night. Instead of yelling at the kids to sit down and shut up (not that I didn’t try that first, to no avail), I patiently explained to them why they were my friends and how we all need to show respect to our friends. I know that God quieted their hearts, but I also know that He had to quiet my heart first. How different it is when we view people as God’s delight instead of an intrusion on our time. The next time someone puts a strain on your patience, call them Hephzibah, the one the Lord delights in. Maybe it will help you to see their good qualities over their bad. Hephzibah, my friends, Hephzibah. -Pastor Jon

If you would like to ask me a question or share a comment with me, please email me pastorjon@hhbchurch.com. I would love to hear from you!

A Word From Pastor Jon - April 2010

Thu, 1 Apr 2010 12:18:31 -0700

“1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
-James 4:1-3

Three months ago I was moving some firewood from under some dense brush in our yard when I was bitten by a brown recluse spider. The sting was minor compared to what followed, a massive infection across my lower back. When I realized it was only getting worse, I finally relented and went to the hospital. I was upset to find that there was no treatment for the poison in me, the doctors could only treat the symptoms with antibiotics and let my own body try to remove the poison. The first wound did not get rid of the poison, so my body opened up a second lesion and finally after 3 months it appears the poison is finally out of my system.
Very often in life, we spend our time dealing with symptoms without ever actually removing the root cause of our problem. Do you ever wonder why it is that you can’t seem to get along with other people? How frustrating it is that the people closest to us are often the people we fight with the most: parents, children, siblings, spouses. In the Bible passage above, James tells us that fights and quarrels are a symptom and not the problem, but instead the underlining issue is selfishness. If you want to get along with people better, attack the source and remove the cause of quarrels: putting your own desires first.
Most people do not believe they are the selfish one and that is the problem. The truth is that everyone is selfish and it takes a selfless person to break the chain of anger. I have my days when I am tired, frustrated or upset so my temper is short. Then my wife or kids do something (or don’t do something) and I feel the blood start to boil. If I lash out there will be a backlash and almost certainly an argument and hurt feelings. There is a moment where I can stop it all by realizing that I am the one that has the problem, why take it out on them? Just bite my tongue and keep quiet. If I do that, I will stop the argument from ever occurring.
What if it was the other person who is having the bad day and they lash out at you first? Rather than firing back, realize that there must be something going on that is causing that person to take their anger out on you. If you want to avoid a fight, here are some options. 1) Accept the blame. Maybe you aren’t to blame this time, but you probably did something worse and got away with it some other time. It evens out. 2) Keep your mouth shut and let them yell at you for awhile. By being the punching bag, you let the other person feel better and make sure someone else doesn’t have to take the blows. Is it fair? No, but you’ll get paid back later when God evens everything out. 3) Try to find out what is the real problem. “A gentle answer turns away wrath.” (Proverbs 15:1) Offer to do something special for them to make them feel better. 4) Keep your mouth shut and walk away. This is the right thing to do only if the first three fail. It is not without some consequences. One time I had to repair a hole in the wall when I came back. Still, better the wall than my head.
You may say, “I can’t do that, what about my pride?” You are right. Pride is part of your selfishness you have to give up to avoid a fight. You can keep your pride and die lonely with few friends. Your choice. I’d rather ditch the pride. Is it easy? Heck, no. Is it worth it? Definitely. That is why we have God reward us in heaven, because it is really tough trying to live like Jesus would. Oh, and it is also a good idea to clear the brush and rotting wood in your back yard to make sure poisonous spiders don’t have a place to hide out. Live and learn! -Pastor Jon

If you would like to ask me a question or share a comment with me, please email me pastorjon@hhbchurch.com. I would love to hear from you!